What does pennant mean?
A pennant is a flag, usually long, narrow, and triangular, that is displayed from a pole, mast, or building. It can also refer to the banner or trophy awarded to a victorious team, as in the familiar expression of winning the pennant. In maritime settings, a pennant may be a small flag used to convey a particular signal. The word combines a straightforward description of a flying flag with a more symbolic sense: pennants celebrate achievement, mark victory, and identify a champion. This dual use makes the term especially common in sports reporting, where a team's pennant can represent both the physical championship symbol and the honour of winning its league. Although the object is often triangular, pennants may also be rectangular or swallow-tailed. The word is used in both British and American English, with the championship sense particularly prominent in North American sports.
nounA pennant is a flag, typically long, narrow, and triangular, flown from a pole or mast. By extension, it can mean a flag awarded as a championship prize or a banner indicating a team's achievement.
- A long, narrow, usually triangular flag attached to a pole or mast.
- A championship banner or the prize represented by such a banner.
- A flag used to give a signal, especially aboard a ship.
"A bright pennant fluttered above the pavilion after the team won the championship."
"The club raised its championship pennant above the main stand."
"Small signal pennants were strung across the harbour for the festival."
The regular plural is used for individual flags, banners, signals, or championship awards.
"Pennants hung from every window along the main street."
One pennant can be both the flag flying over a winner and the symbol of the championship itself.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does pennant come from?
The word entered Middle English through French, whose pennant derives from a verb meaning 'to hang.' That verb ultimately comes from Latin pendere, 'to hang or suspend,' the same root found in pendant and pendent. Over time, the word developed from a general reference to a hanging flag into both nautical and sporting senses, the latter arising through the practice of awarding a banner to a champion.
Related word forms
How pennant is actually used
In North American sports usage, especially baseball, a pennant commonly denotes a league championship trophy or banner and, by extension, the championship itself. The word is also used for maritime signal flags. It should not be confused with the similarly pronounced word 'pendant,' meaning a suspended ornament.
Easily confused with pennant
A pennant is a flag or banner, whereas a pendant is a piece of jewelry or another ornament suspended from a chain or similar fitting.